How to Grow Your Business with FISPA

1. How to Grow Your Business with FISPA

2. Where VOLstate.net was • Started in 1996 as a residential ISP • Basically one product • Dial up access with email. • We changed out of necessity • Started offering ISDN and DSL service • Started concentrating on business clients 2 FISPA LIVE! 2013

3. By 2007 • We were a business only, Data ISP • We sold PCs and Servers out of necessity. • We had some good clients • We lacked the products we needed • We needed a voice offering • We were paying too much for almost everything. • We were losing deals. 3 FISPA LIVE! 2013

4. VOLstate Joined FISPA • Thought I could get help getting into the voice business. • Tried attending a FISPA show. • Found a new vendor • Arranged cross selling across LATA with another FISPA member • Discovered I was not alone… 4 FISPA LIVE! 2013

5. Producers • Fispa is full of producers with diverse models. • Some are innovators • Taking Risk and driving change • Some are great competitors • Taking business from the LECs • Providing their customers a great experience 5 FISPA LIVE! 2013

6. Use FISPA to add Leverage • Remember the power of your association • When you negotiate with vendors that are not yet in FISPA. • Leverage that membership and widen your opportunity. • Charter relationship started in the conference room of VOLstate in a meeting with Matt Anderson • Needed an alternative to just DSL • VOLstate by itself was not a large enough opportunity. 6 FISPA LIVE! 2013

7. Use FISPA to help vendors. • New Vendor – You want them to be successful. • In 2008 I was introduced to a new vendor that could get me in the voice business. • It was risky – I was only the second customer. • Nonetheless, I had to get in the voice business. • I wanted them to succeed. • I asked Ipifony to Join FISPA. • They have helped FISPA by being a sponsor at every event since. 7 FISPA LIVE! 2013

8. Connection Options • Utilize the Swiss Army Knife of Connectivity • Larger Competitors don’t do this. • The needs of the customer are not met • You have the know how • Take what you have and make unique products. FISPA LIVE 2013

9. Smaller competitors can win FISPA LIVE 2013

10. One Example of Victory • FISPA helped us land our largest customer • That deal is worth over 850 thousand dollars. • Uses AT&T Metro Ethernet. • Uses AT&T light gate. • Users Nitel rural LDPL • Uses a now abandoned FISPA DSL aggregation • Users another FISPA service provider to add out of market circuits. • Used “Know How” I gathered from other members. 10 FISPA LIVE! 2013

11. CLEC “Therapy” • FISPA members taught me how to become a CLEC. • “CLEC Therapy” Not wasted. • FISPA CLEC helping “wannabes” • Expert Vendors available • Kris Twomey • Technologies Management (guest at one event) FISPA LIVE 2013

12. On my way to the TRA... • Here is a picture of the AT&T headquarters in Nashville, TN. 12 FISPA LIVE! 2013

13. AT&T’s Brand… FISPA LIVE 2013

14. VOLstate’s Voice Brand FISPA LIVE 2013

15. Pole Attachment Help • Fispa members shared 2 pole attachment agreements with me. • I now have an agreement with my city-owned utility. • We have completed the first of 7 phases of our build out. FISPA LIVE 2013

16. Layer 1 started FISPA LIVE 2013

17. The Power of Layer 1 • We recently finished negotiations with 2 anchor customers. • Renewed for 3 and 4 years. • A large, publicly traded CLEC was bidding both jobs. • Their salesman recently called me asking to work for us. FISPA LIVE 2013

18. Regulatory Help • Like it or not, Governments want their piece of your business. • Compliance is important • Keep the bureaucrats out of your life! • Vendor Members Kris Twomey and Mark Lamert can help you. FISPA LIVE 2013

19. While You are Here • Catch up with your vendors. • Reconnect with your peers. • Consider the solutions that new vendors have. • Help someone else. - FISPA LIVE 2013